Thousands of people have gathered in Rome, Italy in an anti-immigration movement Immigration Issues

Thousands of police were deployed to break up the rallies if the far-right ‘migration’ strategy was successful.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Italy’s capital to protest against immigration policies, as a far-right proposal on immigration measures is expected to be debated in parliament.

Anti-immigration marches in Rome’s Prati neighborhood on Saturday drew several thousand people, while an anti-immigrant rally in another part of the city drew tens of thousands.

Thousands of police were also deployed to ensure that the two rival factions were separated.

The protests come after a petition calling for measures aimed at migrants – including returning them to their countries of origin – gathered the 50,000 signatures needed to trigger parliamentary debate.

Titled “Emigration and Return,” the petition pushes against the old concept of “immigration” — which in right-wing circles can mean mass deportation of ethnic minorities – in politics.

“We want to deport illegals – deport them, because they shouldn’t be here,” Luca Marsella, spokesman for the neofascist group Casapound, said at an anti-immigrant event on Saturday.

“And because we’re not politically correct, we’re going to say we want to send back the illegal immigrants — the ones who didn’t integrate or integrate.”

In several incidents during the anti-immigration march, many participants raised their arms in the fascist salute, chanting “Duce!

‘Irrespective of Italian law’

The immigration debate represents a delicate balancing act The agreement of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

While the anti-immigration League party in their coalition has pushed back talks on the proposal, Italy’s Meloni Brothers and their allies have been more cautious about accepting the proposal linked to extremist groups.

Opponents, including opposition parties and legal experts, say the proposal would violate the constitution and state anti-discrimination laws by targeting people of ethnic origin, including natural born citizens and their children.

“The so-called immigration law gives the idea of ​​separation on the basis of ethnicity and culture which is not compatible with the laws of Italy and the main principles of the rule of law,” said the left-wing politician Angelo Bonelli, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The dispute comes despite Meloni’s government pursuing a similar policy of increasing legal migration, agreeing to a multi-year plan to admit hundreds of non-EU nationals to address job shortages in major economic sectors.